Many new building fire codes now require that window wells and their accompanying windows have a size which is sufficient to enable an individual to easily escape from the window well in the event of a fire or other emergency. To comply with the new regulations, many builders now install large window wells and accompanying windows having dimensions, i.e. a length and depth, which often exceed five feet. The width of these new window wells often exceeds two feet as well, as measured from the surface of the building's foundation to the center of the window well.
The sidewalls of these new window wells which are usually made out of galvanized, corrugated steel are installed in the dugout area around the building's foundation and fastened at their ends on opposite sides of the window to the building's foundation. After installing all of the window well sidewalls for a building, the dugout area around the building's foundation is usually backfilled with dirt and other debris until the surface of dugout area is level with the surface of the surrounding ground. In fact, to prevent water from seeping into the basement of the building, the dugout area is often backfilled to a level somewhat above the surface of the surrounding ground area.
Unfortunately, during the backfilling operation many of the window well sidewalls shift or bow slightly as a result of the force of the backfilled earth impacting against the sidewalls or perhaps because of the weight of the earth moving equipment which is used to backfill the dugout area. Whatever the cause, the result is that the shape or contour of the window well sidewalls often vary from sidewall to sidewall. For example, it has been found that a window well normally having a two foot width might, after backfilling, have a width as small as twenty inches or perhaps as great as twenty eight inches. When this occurs, the arcuate shape or contour of the sidewall changes, often significantly.
In view of the above problem, it will be appreciated that it is virtually impossible to manufacture a single size grate for these window wells. They simply shift or bow too much. Thus, the homeowner or building owner who desires to cover the building's window wells with grates typically has to have the grates custom made which is not only a difficult job for the window well grate installer but an expensive one as well for the homeowner.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an adjustable window well grate which can be easily adjusted by the average homeowner to fit the contour or shape of the new larger size window wells which have a tendency to bow or shift during backfilling around the building.